Crown Point gets facelift

What started as a classic social media venting session turned into something positive: a spruce-up day for Crown Point Vista, the Washington State Parks property overlooking the Grand Coulee Dam area.

A handful of volunteers and parks staff gathered Saturday morning with the goal of painting the guardrail posts and adding a fresh coat to what some folks call the "sundial" – the concrete open air building at the edge of the overlook.

"My administrative assistant said she saw on Facebook a group going back and forth, frustrated about how Crown Point was looking," said Denis Felton, area manager for the Coulee Corridor Area parks, which includes Steamboat Rock. "A lot of things were going on back and forth on the Facebook site, and so she finally kicked in and said, 'Hey, look, I work for State Parks, and my boss is who you need to talk to.'"

He contacted the page's administrator, Kim Christensen of Grand Coulee, and came up to meet with her and take a look at the site. He realized then, a little bit could go a long way.

Which was great, he added, because when it comes to his program budget, he only has a "little bit" to spend: Around 98% of his staffing and resources go to Steamboat Rock area attractions, including the massively popular year-round campground operated by the State Parks. Outlying attractions like Crown Point will get regular trash pickup, he said, but usually not much more.

Felton and Christensen scheduled the clean-up, which she promoted on her page, Grand Coulee Dam Area Community & Advocacy Group. Four volunteers and four Parks staff showed up Saturday morning. While they were hoping for more volunteers, both said it was OK for a first event, especially given how hard it can be to find volunteers. They got about half the guardrails painted, and made progress on the sundial, too.

Felton said ongoing partnerships will be key to keeping the area maintained. He would like to contract with Douglas County to grade the road and parking area a couple times a year. The park is located just over the Douglas County line, heading out the Bridgeport Highway.

He'd also love to see the site "adopted" by a local group committed to its upkeep–whether that's a school project, a Scout Troop, or perhaps interested folks will follow the tried and true path of other parks advocates by creating a "Friends of Crown Point Vista" nonprofit organization.

"This is truly a state park treasure," Felton said. "I mean, you can't ask for a better view."

Christensen said the next clean-up day would be Saturday, Oct. 19.

To get to Crown Point Vista, take the Bridgeport Highway out of Grand Coulee. After 2 miles, turn right on Crown Point Road. Follow the road until you reach the vista, in about 1.3 miles.